[Valens7]

Hello! I've recently decided to get serious about my audio equipment. Consequentially, I determined that my first logical step to take would be to register at these forums. Since then, I've been browsing these forums for advice and insight about what audio components to integrate into my fledgling setup. Here's the gear I've selected thus far:

1. AKG K701
2. Cambridge Audio Azur 540C V2
3. Little Dot MK III

I've since acquired the 540C V2 and the MK III. After spending a couple of hours here and there listening to some CD's on my ATH-A900's (which I've owned for about six months), I'm very pleased with both of them. I just recently ordered the K701's after quite a bit of deliberation.

All that being said, I'm having a hard time deciding on a DAC. I'm looking for something under $200 that will pair nicely with my MK III. There seems to be quite a few options available in that price range, so I'm somewhat bewildered. I'm not interested in another headphone amp, though I will purchase a DAC with that functionality if that is my best option. I'd also like to use my MacBook Pro as a source for music, so the DAC needs to able to connect via S/PDIF. A USB connection doesn't appear necessary for my purposes, so I'm indifferent on that point.

That's all! Thanks in advance.

 

[Golden Monkey]

Take a look at the Keces DA-131 DAC...It doesn't have USB, but if you wanted that (and only that) then you could check out the DA-151.

 

[Navyblue]

IMO, you'd go further with your money by having a DAC or a CDP, at least at this stage of your purchase. If you gotta use your computer as source, I'd sell the CDP and use the money to get a better DAC.

 

[yossi126]

I'm with Navyblue..

Or if you wanna stick with your CDP you better spend more $$ as with 200$ the improvement in sound would be minor.

 

[Bizzel]

I'll third the suggestion to sell your CDP if you're looking for a DAC. For $200 you'd be hard pushed to find anything that sounds noticeably better than the 540.

 

[Tridacnid]

Sounds like your CD player isn't half bad anyway. Maybe sell the CDP, and buy a DVD player for $50, then use the $200 and whatever is left over from the sale to buy a DAC. Or use a computer and buy a USB DAC.

 

[DARKHAVEN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Navyblue /img/forum/go_quote.gif IMO, you'd go further with your money by having a DAC or a CDP, at least at this stage of your purchase. If you gotta use your computer as source, I'd sell the CDP and use the money to get a better DAC.

x4 or 5, I don't remember.

 

[der_yeti]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bizzel /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'll third the suggestion to sell your CDP if you're looking for a DAC. For $200 you'd be hard pushed to find anything that sounds noticeably better than the 540.

CD_player_ranking Of course just another opinion, but worth reading it. There some more informations about DACs on the site.

Best,
Alex

 

[Valens7]

Thanks for all the replies folks! I'm going to take your advice and sell the CDP. I plan on replacing it with a USB DAC (I had a change of heart regarding the utility of the USB connection), specifically the Keces DA-151. It seems like a really nice piece of kit! I initially blanched at the price, but I figure that paying for quality now will make me that much less likely to upgrade in the future.

That's dangerous thinking, I know.

Anyway, if anybody is interested in the CDP, feel free to PM me for details. I also plan on posting an auction in the appropriate forum.

BTW, I'm LOVING the K701's!

What a sound stage!

 

[Sherwood]

Glad you like them -- they are a phenomenal pair of headphones.

In addition to the KECES, you might want to also check out the ZERO dac (ebay) and the Spitfire (audiophileproducts.com). Both are good options, and they use a better chipset than the Keces

 

[Tridacnid]

Happy listening!

 

[Valens7]

I'm not sure if I should be surprised or not, but I like the sound out of my CDP more than the Keces + MacBook Pro combo. I'm rather new to this, so I'm not sure what would be the right words to describe my thoughts on the sound. I guess the CDP just sounds smoother and less fatiguing to my ears. Additionally, I'm able to pick up some electrical noise from my MacBook Pro when I have my AirPort connection enabled. Does anybody have any thoughts on this?

 

[Maniac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valens7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm not sure if I should be surprised or not, but I like the sound out of my CDP more than the Keces + MacBook Pro combo. I'm rather new to this, so I'm not sure what would be the right words to describe my thoughts on the sound. I guess the CDP just sounds smoother and less fatiguing to my ears. Additionally, I'm able to pick up some electrical noise from my MacBook Pro when I have my AirPort connection enabled. Does anybody have any thoughts on this?

Because DA-151 itself is not electrically isolated from the notebook, some of the noise present in the USB ground will be passed onto DA-151.

As for sound quality, DA-151 takes a bit of time (about 200 hours) for full burn-in, I'm not sure if it will beat your CDP, but it will definitely work better as it pass the 200 hours mark. And you can leave it on all the time to speed the run-in and eliminate the warm up time.

In some rare cases, the PCM2702 may be functioning funny (the sound gets all muffled up, sounding weird, etc), this is due to the PCM2702 chip itself getting confused from either powerline or USB noise. A simple power off-on cycle will fix this. We had worked on this problem for a while, and basically eliminated more than 99% chance of it happening, but it still have an off chance of a very strong noise being passed through USB and affect PCM2702's operation. (The budget prohibit us from using a high speed isolator chip, as it will make DA-151 more expensive than DA-131, and that just isn't right....)


IMHO, if you are using a notebook, letting it run in low power mode with battery should make it sound best.

 

[Navyblue]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valens7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm not sure if I should be surprised or not, but I like the sound out of my CDP more than the Keces + MacBook Pro combo.

I'm not surprised. Everyone has their own preference. And preference aside, price is sometimes not a good guide on quality.

Not to say that Keces is bad, but I unless I could audition it first, I prefer to stick with mainstream company which have tonnes of experience and economy of scale. Of course one could argue that smaller company has less overhead cost and offer more bang for buck, but that is just me.

 

[Valens7]

Alright, I've come to a decision again. I'm going to go ahead and buy the DA-131.1, thanks in no small part to Maniac's record of outstanding customer service. I sold my DA-151 to another Head-Fier (Audible), so the financial impact of the upgrade will be rather minimal. I'll be sure to post my impressions of the new unit once I receive it.